WEATHER ALERT DAY for Severe Thunderstorms

Slight risk today for severe thunderstorm to develop where primary threats are hail up to golf ball size and winds up to 70mph. Time frame for these storms to possible pop up look to be around 4-5pm and will continue through the night.

Severe Weather Alert

Slight risk today for severe thunderstorm to develop where primary threats are hail up to golf ball size and winds up to 70mph. Time frame for these storms to possible pop up look to be around 4-5pm and will continue through the night.

Margarita Machine Goes to Smithsonian

10-10-05 - The modified soft-serve ice cream machine that a Dallas restaurateur first used to mass-produce frozen margaritas has found its way to the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History recently acquired the 34-year-old machine, adding it to a collection of cultural markers.

"I have a pretty fertile imagination. I have big dreams," said Mariano Martinez, owner of the Dallas restaurant Mariano Hacienda. "But this is beyond what I ever imagined."

In 1971, Martinez was just trying to run a restaurant, not become an inventor. But with a desire to create something to set his eatery apart and some inspiration from a Slurpee machine at a 7-Eleven, the frozen margarita machine was born.

"To us, it's a story about American innovation and entrepreneurial spirit," said Rayna Green, curator of the National Museum of American History. "And it coincides with the very interesting story of Tex-Mex becoming a phenomenon."

Martinez's father, also a restaurant owner, sometimes made frozen margaritas in a blender for his patrons. Tequila was hard to come by at the time and margaritas were exotic, something mainly consumed on vacation in Mexico.

So Martinez thought such a drink would help his restaurant stand out. The only problem was that bartenders at Mariano's couldn't squeeze enough limes or blend the drinks fast enough. Also, customers complained the drink was inconsistent and not even cold.

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